Satire for All, Not Just Those Who Want It

As the campus tension between Biden and Bernie supporters ramped up, it seems that the beloved Dartmouth Jacko might have been caught in the crossfire. The satirical newspaper recently published an article entitled “In Order to Increase Anti-Establishment Appeal, Sanders Drops Out of Race.” The piece was met mostly by the usual mild chuckles typical of Jacko articles. This article, however, produced visceral responses from some Bernie supporters who felt it was disrespectful to the causes Bernie has championed in his campaign. 

It seems this outrage was only from a select few, but it is telling of the times we live in. The Jacko is a mostly apolitical, maybe left-leaning publication that pokes fun at campus occurrences, Dartmouth students, and what they care about. To have them called out for satirizing Bernie supporters only works to deepen the campus divide along political lines. 

The fact of the matter is that the article made a satirical critique of a significant problem Bernie has had since 2016. Bernie banked on a youthful movement that is very passionate and rallies for him vehemently. However, come voting day, they didn’t show up. According to the AP, in the Michigan primary Sanders got 57% of the 18–44-year-old vote but got 24% of the 45+ vote. The 18–44 age range only made up 37% of the general voting. This number was down from 2016 when the younger demographic accounted for 45% of the Michigan primary. 

Bernie supporters have come to symbolize an anti-establishment zeal in the Democratic party. Whether you support his goals or not, the humor in it is not difficult to find. I’m sure it wouldn’t take long to inebriate oneself if you drank every time flailing hands, “big banks” and “the top 1%” made an appearance on stage. In there is imbued the passion and hilarity of American politics. When we fail to laugh or find comedy in our political discourse is when we truly lose. 

I have no doubt that when Howard Dean was on that stage, he was brimming with all the passion and fire of his campaign. It was how that passion was expressed—a harrowing screech—that allowed just about everyone to laugh at a gaff and remind ourselves of just how seriously some politicians can take themselves, only to come up short in so many ways. This same sentiment is exemplified in the innumerable quotes of Dan Quayle, who was set to be the young new face of the Republican Party. His quotes sound more like they were conjured in a large pot of alphabet soup rather than someone’s brain. 

It is unoriginal to suggest that we live in a polarized time and that our structure only furthers that cultural divide. However, satire will always have a place in America for when we collectively take a step back and find the humor in this democratic experiment. The Jacko does that for plenty of us in the Dartmouth community—much more intimately as they often reflect on our quirks as a student body and a college. As the political intensity ramps up on the path to November, I hope to see plenty of other witty pieces from The Jacko– political and apolitical alike.  

I’d only like to suggest maybe a satire of Biden in which he recasts Obama quotes as his own, assuming he has the memory and political will to do so. No suggestions for Trump—he is exceedingly capable of satirizing himself.